It's no secret that writing a book is a fat lot of work. Enjoyable labor, way better than 72 hours of pushing out a mammal from a space that's normally the size of a dime, but it is labor nonetheless. Every author has a bag of tricks to help get through the first draft of a manuscript. Here's a few of mine...

Take Notes, Einstein
There are so many little details that make up a book, there's no way you can remember them all. Shoot, I can't even remember what it was I was going to make for dinner, even if I left the hamburger on the counter in a drippy red mess to remind me. It's not cheating if you take notes. In fact, it's mandatory. You need to know which garbage can the killer chucked the smoking gun into. Who knows crazy Aunt Alice's combination lock sequence for her chest freezer loaded with pirate dubloons? Where did you leave the freaking bag of Doritos in scene 17?

Any method of note taking is fine. Type them in at the end of your document. Use Scrivener. Plaster the wall with sticky note pads. Whatever works.

Secret Codes
So you're writing along, la-la-la, and wham! Smack head first into an "I don't have a clue what happens next" moment. Should you kill off a character? Introduce a new one? Make the phone ring, the door knock, the dog bark? Some authors use a code to mark those areas, like IDK1, IDK2, and so on. I prefer to use the John Otte method (who's a super fun author you should read). He just plugs in 2 words in those spots and moves on: STUFF HAPPENS.

Try it. Next time you're zipping along and stall out in the story, just write STUFF HAPPENS and go on to the next scene that you know for sure.

Disclaimer: Use this only in case of emergencies or your entire manuscript will consist of those 2 words.

Word Bargains
Everyone's got their pet words. Warm, furry, lovable, and as prolific as Tribbles. Go ahead and let them mate in the first draft just to keep you moving, but keep track of them. If you notice you're using "smile" or "very" or "jingle-jangle" too much, jot them down on a piece of paper and keep going.

It's the second draft where you slash and burn these bargain words you've collected. No matter what you've heard, hoarding is NOT cool. Get rid of them or you'll end up on a reality TV show.

These 3 tricks will help you keep from getting bogged down as you speed along the writing highway to Finished Manuscriptville. Feel free to share some of your own tips in the comment section. There's always room in a writer's bag for one more rabbit.